Oak Mountain Trail Marathon: Race Report

When one of my clients was selected to represent Team USA at the ITU Cross World Championships in Pelham, Alabama, I was honored to fly out and support him at the event. Coincidentally, the day after the race, they were holding a trail marathon at the same venue. With the support of my good friend and client I jumped at the opportunity to enter.


I spent the day before the marathon out in the elements cheering for the ITU athletes as they battled a tough course under an unrelenting sun. I carried my water bottle, stayed well-hydrated and sat in the shade when the opportunity presented itself. I'm sure many of the other runners were resting indoors with their feet up. However, I strongly believe that being out and about in the heat and humidity really helped with my acclimation to a much more temperate environment (especially in comparison to northern Idaho)!

I went into the race with a substantial amount of volume on my legs and with no taper. Two weeks prior I had logged a solid 24-mile run with 5,000 feet of climbing and the weekend before I had logged a 30-miler with 7,000 of climbing. Of course, there was the additional 14,000 feet of climbing that I logged on the other training days, but who's counting :-)

I got a decent night of sleep prior to race morning, and this carried over to the morning going smoothly. I had a banana and some eggs at the hotel about 3 hrs prior to race start, spent a solid hour going through all my mobility exercise and then we were off to the race. We arrived at the venue with plenty of time for me to get in an easy mile and a half and a half dozen striders before they called us to the line.

The race itself went off fast as the lead group of 10 runners paced through the first mile at 6:05. While I knew this pace would cost me a little at the end, I also knew the value of separating myself from the group. "Out of site, out of mind" can be a very valuable race tactic in trail running.

As I settled into a comfortable pace, I found myself with a small group of three locals until about mile 9.  Two of the guys had done a mix of trail and road marathons and indicated a sub 4-hour showing at Oak Mountain was equivalent to a 3-hour marathon. Not having their experience or local knowledge, I took their word for it.

When of the runners told me he was a 2:42 marathoner and the other a 2:45, I had a split second of hesitation that I was running beyond my ability. Thankfully, as quickly as the doubt appeared it was gone. Leaving me with only a sense of pure excitement. Here I was in the sweltering South leading a group of 2:40 marathoners in my first trail marathon.

As we transitioned into a hilly 3-mile section, I broke away from the group and ran solo for the rest of the race. In the last 5 miles I could really feel the fatigue in my legs from the previous couple weeks, but I just focused on being present in the run and pushing through the fatigue. I managed to pass four runners in the last 5 miles coming away with a finish time of 3:42. Good enough for 7th place overall and 2nd in my age group. Despite being exhausted and in desperate need of water and shade, I was elated with my performance!

The course was 90% single track with around 3,000 ft of climbing.  In some sections it was buffed out and fast, but the majority was rocky and rooty. A technical trail, for sure, but I love technical terrain. Despite the challenges of the course, the beauty and tranquility of the area caused the miles to click by.

A big congrats to Rodney Mall on his stellar race at the ITU Cross Worlds and thank you for coming out to cheer for me during my race!! We had a great trip and I am hoping to make it back there to race in 2013.

Orcas Island 25k Race Report

 

I went into this race with one goal and that was to have fun.  And fun I had! The course was beautiful with stands of old growth timber, beautiful rolling single track and breathtaking views of the San Juan Islands from atop Mt. Constitution. 

However, this course wasn’t for the faint of heart. With almost 4,000 ft of climbing and five miles of snow covered single track it was one stout course. The bulk of the climbing was in two major climbs with two demanding descents to follow. If you didn’t have climbing legs…this course hurt.

As the gun went off I quickly found myself with the lead pack. The pace was comfortable and we cut through the first mile in the mid 7’s. However, as we neared the start of the climb up Constitution I backed off the pace. With only 4 weeks of consistent running leading up to this race I knew I didn’t have the strength needed to stay with the lead pack. 

I had heard stories about the climb up Constitution and I can honestly say everything that I heard was true. It was a solid climb and I used a combination of power walking and running to complete the climb. 

The climb itself is just about a mile before the trail turns to rollers leading to the summit of Constitution and the only aid station on the course. I was feeling comfortable with my nutrition and hydration and passed by the aid station without losing any time. The only downfall to breezing by the aid station is that you miss the beautiful views out over the San Juans. Not that they aren’t visible from the course, but it sure would have been nice to sit down with a nice cup of warm soup and take it all in!

The descent off Constitution was fast, but it also required considerable concentration due to the snow-covered switchbacks. There was a fine line between being in control and over running a turn on an icy corner.

When we started up the second climb I could tell that my legs didn’t have the conditioning to match my cardiovascular fitness so I again backed off the pace and really focused on using my glutes to push me up the climbs. Sounds funny I know, but you can really feel a shift from the quads to the glutes. After a quarter mile or so the legs started to feel better and soon I was back in my rhythm.

After the second major descent I was really feeling the fatigue in the legs and had to dig deep during the last two miles around the lake.  I crossed the line in 2:30. Good enough for 16^th place. 

I can’t even begin to describe the emotions I experienced crossing the finishing line. I was ecstatic, thrilled, elated!! 2 years ago I was told I needed a spinal fusion and would never race again. 7 months ago I under went major shoulder surgery. 2 months ago I went for my first run. 4 weeks ago I started running consistently. And on January 28^th, I crossed a finish line! 

It has been a long road back and I couldn’t have made it without the support of my friends and family. To Dr. Jon King who performed my shoulder surgery. Thank you. I know the extent of the damage was more than anyone imagined, but I am so thankful to have had such a skilled surgeon and caring team of specialists in the operating room including a long time client, friend and head surgical nurse Maggy McPaul. To Tyler Blackwelder, my friend and PT. Thank you so much for everything that you have done to get me back out on the trails, I know it was no small task. To my beautiful and caring wife Michelle, thank you for always being my rock and never letting me believe for one second that I would never compete again. To my parents, thank you so much for all the support over the last several years - I know it cannot have been easy to watch me go through all the ups and downs. To my athletes, thank you so much for your support and inspiration. I am so fortunate to have such a great team! To all my friends, thank you for being there for me.

I’m back!!